The 2019 Mille Miglia is now in full swing and Bugatti is competing in this year’s event with an iconic Type 35 piloted by Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, followed by Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann in a Bugatti Chiron Sport 110 Ans edition “support car”. Quite a team! The Type 35 in its various iterations was the most successful racing car in Bugatti’s chequered history and should cope well with the 1000-mile event.
The Chiron is participating in an unofficial capacity and is there to bookend the brand and its impressive 110-year motoring history. “The Type 35 is one of the icons of Bugatti’s rich history and tradition,” says Winkelmann. “It’s in its natural element here. The Chiron Sport ‘110 Ans Bugatti’ is the modern and ultimate reinterpretation of the luxury hyper sports car. Here, in Italy, it pays tribute to its French heritage, but also recalls Ettore’s Italian roots.”
Day one of the race saw participants setting off in Brescia passing through the region of Emilia-Romagna, the home to a number of famous Italian sports car brands. After a quick stop in the cultural city of Ferrara the cars drove on to the port city of Cervia. On the second day, the competitors arrived in Rome after a challenging route that took in some of the most beautiful cities in the Marche and Umbria regions. The return trip starts on the third day where the classic cars head back to Brescia arriving on Saturday where the travel weary competitors will celebrate late into the night in the streets of Brescia’s old center.
Images courtesy of Bugatti
